Canada goes dimensional with a new ten-ounce coin replica of the iconic Starship Enterprise

Canada goes dimensional with a new ten-ounce coin replica of the iconic Starship Enterprise

Ever since the Mint of Poland debuted the beautiful Fortuna Redux coin back in 2013, there’s been a small, but growing interest in ‘dimensional’ coins. These are coins that take on a shape that extends into the third dimension. Unusually shaped coins are common, but they tend to maintain a flatness in one dimension. The Royal Canadian Mint has been experimenting with the concept lately, and has now applied it to its Star Trek franchise.

If you’re going to do a Star Trek special, it certainly makes sense to choose the ultra-iconic Starship Enterprise as a subject. Struck in a single piece of fine silver weighing ten ounces, the shape of the ship in plan is instantly recognisable. It’s less successful when viewed as a whole, however. The trouble of choosing something as weirdly shaped as the Enterprise is the virtual impossibility of producing a replica by striking, so compromises were made. In our view, they’re too much. It’s a big piece at over 100mm (4″) in length, yet the level of detail on it is quite limited, especially from the side. From the top or bottom the effect is good, but as soon as you move away from a plan view the effect is completely lost.

It’s an interesting item and we applaud the RCM for trying, but at $1200.00 CAD, it’s not something we feel is great value, although having sold out very quickly, it’s clear we’re in a minority. The packaging is also disappointing. A standard maroon coin box doesn’t really sit well with a piece as clearly distinct and special as this and we’re surprised they haven’t designed something unique for what is clearly a one-off coin.

As we said, this one seems to have sold most of its mintage on release, so whether we’re off base or not is a personal choice. We imagine this one will split opinions and that’s usually a great sign. No doubt this will be generating premiums quite soon, but how they hold onto them in the longer term is open to question. Well done to the RCM for having a go at something new and interesting, but we’ll wait for MK-II. It’s out now, although you’ll have to do a little searching to find one.

2017 STAR TREK USS ENTERPRISE SILVER COIN

MINTS DESCRIPTION

Inspired by Star Trek‘s spirit of innovation, the Royal Canadian Mint pushes the boundaries of numismatic art with a remarkable feat of its own: an Enterprise-shaped coin! This uniquely shaped, 99.99% pure silver coin takes a more dimensional approach to re-creating the iconic spacecraft, whose fictional voyages have ignited the imaginations of millions of Canadians across the country.

DESIGN: Arguably one of the most famous starships of all, Star Trek‘s celebrated U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 is instantly recognized by the rounded saucer shape and nacelles, which give the coin its distinctive shape. Detailed engraving re-creates many of vessel’s features in this small-scale reproduction—including the ship’s registry code and name on the reverse, where the overhead view offers a unique perspective of the main bridge that sits atop the saucer section. Engraved elements also add dimension to the rounded shape of the warp nacelles that extend out from the secondary hull, particularly on the obverse where the underside view allows a glimpse of the deflector/sensor dish.

The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt, along with the ship’s registry code, the word “CANADA”, the year “2017” and the face value “100 DOLLARS”, all engraved in a Star Trek font.

PACKAGING: The coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded maroon clamshell with a graphic beauty box.